How do DOCX and DOCcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Office Open XML Document
DOCX is the default format for Microsoft Word documents. It's an XML-based format that replaced the older .doc format, offering better compression, easier recovery, and broader compatibility.
Microsoft Word Document (Legacy)
DOC is the legacy binary format used by Microsoft Word before 2007. While still widely encountered, it has been superseded by DOCX. Many older documents and templates still use this format.
| Specification | DOCX | DOC |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Office Open XML Document | Microsoft Word Document (Legacy) |
| Extension | .docx | .doc |
| MIME type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document | application/msword |
| Category | Document | Document |
| Developer | Microsoft | Microsoft |
| Year introduced | 2007 | 1983 |
DOCX and DOC serve different purposes. DOCX is ideal for business reports and memos, while DOC excels at opening legacy documents.
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